Hobbyhorse



Oct. 24, 1950 w Y 2,526,786

HQBBYHORSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1949 I INVENTOR. MINNA JFK-HITNEY flTTORNEY Patented Oct. 24, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEHOBBYHORSE Minna R. Whitney, Upperville, Va.

Application June 21, 1949, Serial No. 100,503

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to hobby-horses for children and,particularly, to a type that may be applied to thigh and knee portionsof the leg of a person, when in a sitting position, and juggled up anddown by that person to simulate horse-back riding especially while achild is seated on the hobby-horse.

While a great variety of hobby-horseshave been previously proposed, sofar as applicant is aware, none has been provided for very smallchildren, of an age capable of only sitting, and it has long been thepractice of adults to bounce them on their knee, while perhaps recitingnursery rhymes, such as Banbury Cross, etc, to simulate horse-backridingall this without the stimulus and excitement that is provided by aphysical form representing a horse or other animal.

It is the broad object of the present invention to supply such stimulusand excitement for the child (and perhaps the adult) by the provision ofa dummy comprising the head, neck and shoulder portions of an animal,the shoulder portion being rearwardly extended to provide a seat orstraddle upon which the child may sit astride and having a longitudinalcavity at its underside to receive the knee and thigh of a seatedperson.

A further object of this invention is to provide a dummy of thecharacter mentioned which is fashioned of a mass of soft yieldablematerial devoid of any rigid or hard elements in any portion of thefigure (other than stirrups which may be of rubber and may be removableor which may be omitted), the body portion being rearwardly extended asufficient distance beyond the withers of the dummy to provide a seat orstraddle portion upon which a child may sit astride and the body portionhaving a longitudinal cavity on its underside and of sufiicient depth toreceive the knee and thigh of a seated person with the sides of saidcushion mass embracing the sides of the knee and thigh of the person onwhich the dummy is placed, the sides extending deeply downwardly andbeing flexible so that when a child is seated on the dummy properlysupported, the knees of the child will naturally press the saiddownwardl extending sides against the support and thus make a grippingengagement of the dummy against the support and prevent inadvertent oraccidental slipping of the dummy on the support.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in

which latter like characters of reference refer to similar and likeparts through the several views. In the drawings, which illustrate theinvention as it is now devised:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the improved hobby-horse of thepresent invention as it may be applied in one position on the thigh andknee portion of a seated person and upon which a child may sit or ride;

Figure 2 is a rear end view of the hobby-horse shown in Fig. 1, but notapplied to the leg of a person;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 33of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view showing one manner of securing atail to the rear of the toy and which may provide a handle to steady thetoy and insure its being held in place on the knee;

Figure 5 illustrates a modification in the construction at the breast ofthe to animal; and

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate different manners in which the hobby-horse ofthe invention may be used.

The form of the animal illustrated in the drawing has thecharacteristics of a horse, but it is within the purview andcontemplation of this invention that the form of the dummy may be thatof other animals; and the term hobby-horse is used merely as aconvenience of expression for the dummy employed and not as a limitingterm.

More specifically described, the invention employs an animal dummy, andcomprising at least the head, neck and shoulder portions H, N and S,respectively, of the animal simulated, constructed of light-weightmaterial, such as textile cloth, molded plastic material, sheet plasticor sheet rubber just to mention a fe as examples. When made of airpervious sheet material a, which provides the outer contour surfaces,the dummy is stuffed with a suitable stuffing material s so as to givethe dummy form and the necessary rigidity; but when the outer surface ofthe dummy is of an air-impervious material a, such as plastic or rubbersheeting, the dummy may be given form and rigidity by inflating it withair, a suitable air-valve 1) (Fig. 6) being provided for this purpose.However, in allcases, the head H and neck N are to have suflicientrigidity with adjacent parts of the shoulder portion S as to beselfsustaining when in use, as shown, while the lower neck or breastportion 7) and the shoulder portion in the seat area are yieldablyflexible, as will be pointed out. Of course, it is understood also thatthe dummy may be molded or otherwise fashioned into form or shape by theuse of very light material now on the market, such as sponge or foamrubber and certain types of plastics, as examples.

In any event, the neck portion end of the dummy should include the upperportion of the breast b and the shoulder portion S is extendedrearwardly of the neck portion N for a distance, as seen in the drawing,to complete the contour of the simulated animal so as to provide a seatIQ for the child to the rear of the head and neck portion. This seat I!)may take the form of a saddle H and interposed between the saddle andthe material a or a may be the representation of a saddle cloth or padI2. It is preferred that stirrups l3 hang from the seat or saddle inproper location. To this end, a stirrup strap [4 is interposed betweenthe seat and saddle cloth, and has its ends hanging from each side ofthe dummy with its end portions looped through the stirrups l3 and maybe adjustable through means of a buckle IS. The head of the dummy may bebridled, as at 16, with suitable reins ll extending from the bit of thebridle to the seat portion l0.

As shown in Figure 2, the shoulder and neck portions are hollowed toform a deep cavity l8 on the underside of the dummy. -This:cavityextends longitudinally through the dummy-from the rear of the seat IDforwardly to the breastportion b, and is open at the underside andrearend of the dummy so that it may be conveniently placed over and aboutthe knee and forward-thigh portion of a person, when inseatedposition,as shown in Fig. 1. When soapplied, as shown in Fig. l, the breastportion b. extends over and about the knee of the person, thewvalls of.the

. breast portion acting as a stop and the. sidesof the shoulder-portionsand breastportion extending downwardly for a distance to envelope-orembrace the knee and sides of the thigh (onother similar supportas-shown in Fig. .7) so that-when in use, the knees of a child sittingon the dummy will normally press said-sides .of-theshou-lder and breastportion against the object on which the dummy is supported and cause thedummy to grip the support from oppositesides andprevent inadvertent oraccidental slipping of the dummy on the support.

The breast portion may be divided vertically,.as particularly showninFigs. 1,. 2 and 3, bya slit I9 having its edges held insubstantiallyclosed position by an elastic means .20 which has its endssecured to opposite sides of the slit. The resiliency or elasticity ofthe elasticmeans 20 func tions forthe purpose of allowingthebreastportion I) to expand and tightly grip about the knee of the personupon which'the dummy is applied.

In Fig. is illustrated a modification of the resilient or elastic means2-9, whereinit is made of two elastic strips-a andZGb connected bydisconnectible and adjustable means 2 i (such as abutton andbutton-holes) ,thus enabli-ng-theuser to adjust the breastportion btomore suitabl fit the size of his or her knee or, when disconnected, topermit the dummy to be usedin the'position shown in Fig. 6 so that thechildmay facelthe person who is playing hobby-horse with him.

' This may be particularly desirable inzthe case of 'fit against theknee and be retained in that position.

While this hobby-horse is particularly designed to insure the grippingof the knee or other object on which the dummy will be used, the wallsof the cavity [8 may be provided with a layer 24 of sponge rubber orother roughenedsur-facematerial such-as velvet'or the like.

within the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed as new is:

1. An animal dummy comprising a mass of material fashioned to simulatethe head, neck and shoulder part of an animal, said mass consistingentirely of soft material, the headand neck portions at least beingsulficiently rigid to be self-sustaining, the shoulder portion extendinguninterruptedly for a distance rearwardly of the neck portion andforming a seat on its upper surface, the shoulder portion and the lowerportion of the neck portion of said mass of softmaterial having arelatively deep longitudinal cavity on their underside, said cavitybeing open atlits rear end and closed at its forward end and formindeeply downwardly extending yieldable front end and side portionsextending the length of said dummy and adapted to fit over and aroundthe thigh and knee ofa person in sitting position or other similarsupport.

2. A dummy, as set forth in .claim 1, wherein there is an openingextending upwardly fromthe lower edge of said neck at its front and astrip of resilient material connected to the material on opposite sidesof the opening, whereby, when the masses of the material on. oppositesides ,of the opening are spread apart as when the dummy is placed onthe said support, said resilient material resiliently pulls and holdsthe material extending downwardly at the opposite sides of the neckportion into gripping and holding engagement against said support.

3. An animal dummy of v the character described having head, neck,breast and shoulder portions having their surfaces merging and joinedtogether and together simulating the head, neck, breast, oppositeshoulders, opposite sides and back of an animal, such as a horse; thebreast portion being a downward extension of the front of the neckportion and being bifurcated, the opposite shoulder portions joining andmerging along the back of the dummy and extending rearwardly from theopposite sides of the neck and breast portions and being spaced apart,and a resilient tie joined to and pulling the bifurcated parts of thebreast portion, and thereby the side portions, togetherand againstoppositesides of an appropriate support straddled by said side portions,

whereby the dummy is self-gripped to the support against sidewiserotational slipping thereon.

4. An animal dummy, as set forth in claim 3 composed entirely of a massof soft flexible material self-sustaining in its shape.

MINNA; R. WHITNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

